Watch for information on the work being done by Friends of Atascadero Lake to preserve, enhance and sustain our beautiful Atascadero Lake.
March 15, 2020: The Atascadero Lake Water Quality Improvement Project sponsored by the California Conservation Corps Watershed Stewards Program in Partnership with AmeriCorps and the City of Atascadero. Their were many volunteers and we want to thank all who showed up and worked in the rain to complete the project. Great job!
Also, F&W planted around 700 trout into Atascadero Lake. They will do a second planting at the end of this month. Boy, has the lake been busy with fishing. Young and old have been enjoying this fun free activity. Thank you Fish and Wildlife and The City of Atascadero to make this happen. The last time the lake was planted was 2008!
Aeration Project: Completed 4/18/17 the aeration system is now running continuously! Thank you to Don Lynge and Paul Murphy for seeing this project through!
Well Drilling/Pipeline Project: COMPLETED 7/26/16
After working for over a year on the well for Atascadero Lake, the well was drilled yesterday (02/19/15) to 290 feet. Ned Thompson seems to believe that we will have ample water 50-75 gpm. The well will be tested in about 3 weeks or so for actual gpm.
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Pipeline Project Update 7/26/16
The pipeline is completed and water is flowing into Atascadero Lake as of this afternoon!
Pipeline Project Update 7/19/16
Take a look at the recent video of the lake just taken last week. (Link below) Impress it on your memory because if we are lucky we will never see the lake this low again!
Work will be starting on the pipeline project on July 12!! The first phase will be on the Hansens’ property. Sprouse Communications construction will be doing the work. They do mostly underground communication line installation. An 800’ 3” HDPE line will be installed with underground boring.
We want to thank Paul Murphy and Don Lynge, of our board, for all their months hard work on this project. We also want to thank Don Giessinger for putting us in touch with Sprouse construction.
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Well Drilling/Pipelne Project Update 5/27/16
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Well Drilling/Pipeline Project Update 10/20/15
PG&E pole installation at well: Paul Murphy let us know like all projects this has taken a bit longer. We are waiting for a new electrical box to mount on the pole to complete the project.
Well to Lake pipeline: We are on revision 3 of the plans. The line will be a combination of boring underground and some trenching. All will take place in the city right of way. We have recently found out from the city we need to obtain 3 new permits for the project and with help from the city, we are working on those now.
PG&E pole installation at well: Paul Murphy let us know like all projects this has taken a bit longer. We are waiting for a new electrical box to mount on the pole to complete the project.
Well to Lake pipeline: We are on revision 3 of the plans. The line will be a combination of boring underground and some trenching. All will take place in the city right of way. We have recently found out from the city we need to obtain 3 new permits for the project and with help from the city, we are working on those now.
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Well Drilling/Pipeline Project Update 9/15/15
Chase presented to the board a bid to install an electrical pole and panel that would come from the main PGE pole (15’ run) to another pole which will house a “rain tight” 100 amp panel. Chase explained that this work needs to be done, inspected and approved by the city, before PGE will “power up” and connect the 100 amp panel. His bid is for $543.00. Chase reduced the bid by $100 as his donation to Friends of Atascadero Lake. Thank you Chase! This bid does not include the 50 amp run from the new pole to the well. Nancy Hair moved that we accept the bid and it was seconded by Paul Murphy and all approved.
Well to Lake Pipeline/Don Lynge, Paul Murphy: After all utilities came out to mark their underground utilities we found out that there is an existing main gas line that in spots is right where we wanted to lay our pipe. You cannot run a water line within 5 feet of a gas line. We have revised our plan, re- marked the road, 811 has been called again and now we are waiting for the city to come out and give their input and approval for the new plan. We will need new engineering drawings, but need approval from the city first before we move ahead.
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Well Drilling/Pipeline Project Update 8/19/15:
We paid $2832.46 to PGE for a deposit for connecting the electricity to run the well pump from an existing pole to a smaller pole. The smaller pole will have to be set first before PGE will come in. The electrical will run underground.
Don Lynge filled us in on the progress of getting bids for the pipeline. He has met with two contractors about the “Pot Holing” and will meet with two more. Some want to do give a bid for all phases of the work and some not. The streets have been marked for utilities and most of “As builts”. We have 30 days after calling 811 to start on the “Pot Holing”. The holes have to be hand dug.
The property owners have been contacted with a personal visit and they were given a letter as what to expect along with the Atascadero News article where the city endorses our project.
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Well Drilling/Pipeline Project Update 5/19/15:
PG&E has been contacted and we are in line for the electrical pole and hook up (one month, maybe less)
Filipponi and Thompson will be installing the pump soon (they will fit us in as their time allows)
The engineers will soon have the plans completed (remember they are volunteering their time for us)
We are waiting for a response from the city to walk Portola and approve. When that is completed we can call 811 Dig and they can mark the road. (this needs to be done for the contractor)
We are so close to getting this project under way, so please don't lose heart! We thank everyone who has helped us financially and also sent letters to the city in support of this project. Friends of Atascadero Lake is 100% responsible for all costs of this project. Without knowing what all this will cost, we can only estimate a cost. We have raised close to $34,000, again thank you!!!
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Goat weed abatement 9/30/15
Goats have been brought to Atascadero Lake to help clear the weeds in anticipation of the coming rains.
Follow this link to see the goats in action: http://youtu.be/319rFzxAIOA
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Fill Line Repair:
Update 10/2/15
Fill line repairs have been completed by the city.
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Update 9/30/15:
Work is beginning on the fill line repairs. Thank you to the city for their work on this.
UPDATE 2/23/15:
The pump is now on "idle" but when the line is primed they can turn up the pump and increase the flow. More flow should be happening Sunday. The water is now coming in crystal clean. The city pumps have been working for only about 30 hours, but what a difference this fill line makes as we watch the lake fill!
After the last fix the valve was again opened and a new horizontal crack opened up. The very thorough job the city did in clearing the pipe of debris has allowed the water flow to increase to a point that the pressure from the flow creates new leaks. The pipe was scoped Tuesday and the 60 year old pipe is not holding up well. It will take a continued and vigilant repair program to keep it functioning. Opening the valve part way to reduce flow and pressure does not create enough pressure to push the water uphill and over the dam. The city is now actively looking at every possibility to bypass this up-hill slope to get water into the lake. The city also understands the importance of a sustainable lake and is prioritizing this fix.
Repairs to the aging Atascadero Creek fill line are still in progress. Once those repairs are completed, water will again flow to Atascadero Lake. This creek water is urgently needed – and the City continues working diligently to bring more of this season’s rains to the lake. Contact them with your support and encouragement at www.atascadero.org.
